Governor Nominates Efficiency Maine Trust Board Members
July 13, 2009
AUGUSTA - Governor John E. Baldacci today named seven members of the Board of the Efficiency Maine Trust. Legislation passed into law earlier this year set aggressive goals to end Maine’s dependency on foreign and fossil fuels. The Trust and its Board were created under this new law to design, coordinate and integrate energy efficiency, weatherization and alternative energy programs for all energy consumers in Maine.
The seven nominees are: Michelle Atherton of Orrington; James Atwell of Falmouth; Adam Lee of Cumberland Center; Naomi Mermin of Portland; Glenn Poole of Orrington; John Rohman of Bangor; and Tom Tietenberg of Waterville.
“To achieve a long-term solution to reduce the stranglehold of fossil fuels on our pocketbooks and environment, we need dedicated individuals to provide the knowledge, drive and experience to lead the board of Efficiency Maine Trust,” said Governor Baldacci. “I am pleased to nominate these highly capable individuals, who I am confident will continue Maine on this ambitious path we have laid. We need to develop clean, renewable energy and pursue green jobs, and to do so in a way that encourages private partnerships.”
Atherton has owned New Form Building Systems Inc. since 2004. The company markets and sells building materials, including energy efficient materials. Atherton is a civil engineer who served as a project engineer for the Connecticut Department of Transportation from 1995 to 2001. Atherton received an undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, Mass., and a master’s degree from Central Connecticut State University.
Atwell has served as a senior project manager at Sevee & Maher Engineers Inc. since 1993. Prior to that, he worked 24 years at ABB Environmental Services Inc., where he was promoted to vice president. Atwell currently serves as the chair of the Board of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. He is co-chair and a founding member of the E2 Tech Council, a 501c(3) organization that provides a technical resource to Maine on environmental and energy issues. Atwell had been a member of the Board of Directors of the Maine Technology Institute from 1999 to 2007, serving as chair from 2001 to 2003. Atwell earned a B.S. and a M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Maine.
Lee has been with Lee Auto Mall for 22 years, serving as president since 1997. He is the current chair of the Maine Energy Conservation Board and has received environmental awards from the Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Maine League of Conservation Voters. Lee is a graduate of Vassar College.
Mermin owns Naomi Mermin Consulting, which she has operated for the past seven years. Her practice currently focuses on energy efficiency. She is the 2009 chair of the U.S. Green Building Council Maine Board of Directors. Mermin previously taught graduate classes in public health and environmental health at Tufts University. From 2000 to 2002, Mermin served as executive director of the Asthma Regional Council, and from 1993 to 2002 she served as director of the New England Lead Coordinating Committee. Mermin earned an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and a Masters in Business Administration from Boston University.
Poole is Manufacturing Support Manager – Energy for Verso Paper LLC, managing energy for Verso’s four mills. He has worked at the Bucksport mill since 1972. Poole currently serves on the Energy Conservation Board. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Maine.
Rohman has been a partner at WBRC Architects Engineers since 1978, and currently serves as the President and CEO of the firm. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, and a former Bangor City Council member (serving as mayor in 2001). He is a member of the Maine Arts Commission. Rohman holds bachelor’s degrees from the University of Maine and Husson University.
Tietenberg is retired and a Mitchell Family Professor of Economics, Emeritus, at Colby College. He currently serves as a trustee of the Energy and Carbon Savings Trust and is a member of the Maine Energy Conservation Board. Tietenberg held a variety of positions at Colby College since 1977, including director of the Environmental Studies Program. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He holds a master’s degree from the University of the East, in the Philippines, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
An Act Regarding Maine's Energy Future was passed as emergency legislation, meaning it went into effect upon the Governor’s signature, June 12, 2009. The law established the Efficiency Maine Trust, which brings together under one roof Maine’s energy rebate, efficiency and conservation programs. Among other provisions, the law established the goal to weatherize all residences and 50 percent of businesses by 2030 and reduce the State’s consumption of liquid fossil fuels by at least 30 percent by 2030.
The other two members of the Trust, under the Statute, are the Director of the Governor’s Office of Energy Independence and Security and the Director of the Maine State Housing Authority. The seven individuals nominated by the Governor must be reviewed by the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy and confirmed by the Senate.
